been reading about the fruits of the spirit lately.
and reflecting on identity.
and trying to hold fast to hope on behalf of my nepali friends. which seems to be tested more with each new fragment of story and understanding i gain into their lives. but let me back up. its been a busy week already and we're half way through.
said goodbye to the sweetest team ever last friday. but with little time to sit and mourn kristin and i say hello to a former servant team member Melissa this weekend!!! nothing says retreat from the grind like a visit to Kolkata. And then if that wasn't enough we'll say another hello in two weeks to our first intern since, well, me i guess. And then the floodgates open and we get Chris and his sweet team of friends coming to visit and the one and only Kyle Scott. Performing live in Kolkata for at least the next 3 years... Please book your tickets in advance. So it appears that the WMF Kolkata Bed and B-fast will be open for business and you're all welcome for a little warm tropical May stay...
I sense myself in the midst of our busyness, straining to see clearly. to fix my eyes and walk in hope. thus i turned to Galations and found myself replanting those life bearing seeds deep within my heart. the brokeness and corruption i'm disovering in the gach moves my heart with a heaviness i cannot shake even with all the strength i dare to muster. i close my eyes and see a little girl a few stories up. one minute painting my nails. the next surrounded by guys deciding who will take the first go. and i want to throw up. i want to scream and punch and hate. and tear by the roots all thats good and kind and gentle in my heart. replacing it with hatred and anger. my heart is torn and my mind is permantly molded to this little one's life and for this reason i find myself crawling towards the Father in hopes that i can rearrange my heart to pray and hope and see miracles on behalf of these faces that follow me through my kolkata days. i don't know where to go from here. so i look down and stare at the chipping polish on my hand and again whisper my friends' names towards the Father. in most cases lately, the only way i can find to pray for them.

Beautiful Treasured.

शोना. मुल्लो. शुन्दुर.

Even her dancing is being renewed.

Her smile. Golden.
lights up the room
reveals understanding she can't speak into words.

And when she was introduced to our new friend Jane, who speaks life into deaf ears. Whose hands and eyes offer sweet understanding. I saw that golden smile yet again. Followed by a flood of built up words, just waiting to be unloaded in front of patient understanding eyes.
I never thought i'd have a desire to learn sign language, let alone bengali sign language. But if it means another bridge built, then my hands are willing and waiting. And after hearing Jane's translation of our golden friend's story, my heart is broken. Over a life so full of suffering.
But still she dances.
And still she smiles.
And as Jane reminded this treasured one-
God saw her in her pain and picked her up and now she is here.
Among ones who love her.
One who used to hide her pain in heavy drink.
After only 3 months in Sari Bari is moving towards new life.

Redemption at His finest as far as i can see.
Amen.

sorry you all missed out on the best part of the bird story, here's the video in all its glory...

there's moments in my life when i dream of being more like those i respect...st. francis of assisi is certainly one of those on the list. a man of God. full of love. servant to the poor. at peace with his fellow man and one with the nature around him. a few weeks ago i woke up thinking of this man...as i rolled over to see two pigeons flying by my doorway on their way to our living room...and it was at that instant i also realized how far i have to go. because unlike st. franky i wanted to crush their birdy little beaks for again invading our home, not welcome them to nest upon my shoulder as he might have done.however this cavernous devide between my own life and st francis' came to a culmination just a few days back. i had been staying with our team of 9 at a hostel for a few days and was finally arriving back home to the comfort and familiarity of my own room. as usual i clicked on my fan and proceeded to turn on the light only to be shocked into awareness that yet another pigeon had taken up residence in my absence. i flung aside my things to better assist my new tenant through the door and onto the veranda. unfortunately in my frenzy i forgot one minor detail...the fan...in its panic and mine, it tried for a mad flight dash to the door (idiot bird) but got caught up in the death trap of the fan...and next thing i knew before me was a murdered bird body gasping for breath at the foot of my bed. i mean that sucker shot out of my fan with 747 speed...sarah said she's never before heard such cries uttered from me before...andrew, recall your killing of the spider and you have good idea of the yelling happening in my room...the following is the result of this unfortunate event...

and sadly...the foot is still MIA...

random overviews.

its been a whirlwind week. as we welcomed 9 amazing women from IWU here for 3 weeks. they are so fun! and its been an adventure leading 9 little chickadees around the city single file. don't worry no one really even notices...ha.
so this is going to be about as sporadic as they come this morning...but here's a few updates:
-9 girls. nicely arriving in india. do think of us as we hopefully create space for them to discover the heart of god in a new and face ripping and profound way here. i already see it happening in this first week and i love it!!!
-last week i got my ticket to New Zealand for the fall woooaaahhh!
-saturday i got to see Imagination and the way she bounded in from the back room to give me a big bear hug literally melted my heart. she is doing so good. and although her foot is still bothering her some its still amazing to see her walking around after having to carry her up stairs and lay her in taxis only a few months ago! her life is such a colorful story of redemption. plus, from living at the rehab home, she's now gotten quite rolly polly and i love it!
-i got to hang out with some new nepali ladies this week. they were pretty disturbed that i'm not married yet but if thats the only issue they have with me, and they letme come back and hang out in their room, then i can take the heat...

there's quite a lot more happening that i'll refrain from writing on at the moment. but do keep us all in your thoughts these days.
more to come when i'm at my own computer in the comfort of my own room. not in a cafe among 35 of my closest new friends...(i've been staying the past few nights with the team at their hostel, although its been a fun throw back to those camp sleep over days, i think i could use a nights sleep in my own bed again)
more to come. peace.

a good reference.

i just had to introduce you to this blog...one of our nepal cuz's. he's touched on a topic that i myself have been debating how to write about as i journey through being instead of doing here in kolkata. being defined by how christ's eyes view my life...instead of entertaining, proving to the blinking millions to my right and left. its easy to be defined by what we do here and its a daily battle to let that die. in the face of how the world defines us, what is the better path to trod...do take a look at what he has to say.

http://andrewulasich.blogspot.com/